I Tried On COS’s New Autumn 2025 Collection—These Chic Pieces Got My Seal of Approval
Welcome to The Great Try-On. With autumn well and truly in the air, we took the opportunity to try on some of the best new-in pieces from your favourite brands, documenting the process along the way. We believe that the best way to shop online is to see an item IRL and read candid reviews, so we hope this leads you to your most successful purchases of the year.
When I trekked across central to try on the COS’s autumn 2025 collection amid torrential downpours and a Tube strike, I couldn’t help but feel like Emily Blunt’s character in The Devil Wears Prada sarcastically reminding herself why she loves her job. It was only when I stepped out of the rain and into the warming Coal Drops Yard boutique that I really did resonate with that statement.
As a fashion writer, it’s both a privilege and a thrill to make a career out of frequenting changing rooms, testing new season pieces and being at the forefront of the trend cycle. So when I was feeling a tad vexed about having to brace unsavoury elements in the name of style, all it took was being surrounded by the store’s tranquil white walls and racks of covetable pieces to remind me just how fortunate I am. My pleasant mood was only compounded when I whipped around the store, picking up item after item that I simply couldn’t wait to slip into. (While adhering to the brand’s seven items per dresser, of course.)
Indeed, that’s the ability of great clothing. Much has already been written about the serotonin-boosting qualities of fashion—it’s called dopamine dressing for a reason, you know—so I don’t feel like this is the space to add to the conversation. Instead, what’s worth waxing lyrical about is the quality and brilliant design of the high-street favourite’s latest drop. The London-based brand has been a fixture of the UK’s fashion landscape since its inception. However, in the past few years, COS has tried its hand at cracking a different market: The US. My store visit came on the heels of the retailer’s most recent NYFW presentation. By consequence, the store was stocked to the brim with styles debuted on the runway, which instilled them with a sophisticated and metropolitan quality.
Those elements have always been imbued into COS designs, which is why it’s the first place most discerning shoppers turn to for impeccable tailoring or sumptuous knitwear. It really is true that COS is at its best during the cooler months, and I would contend that this season is one of the strongest that’s been put out. Because of this, it really was a challenge to distil everything I saw and sampled into a concise edit. While you’ll only find a small but considered selection of the fresh launches that piqued my interest, both in-store and online are awash with styles that merit checking out yourself.
For context, I stand tall at 5”5 and usually fit between a size 8 and 10. My personal style is a mix of ‘90s minimalism, preppy and playful, meaning I enjoy wearing quintessential wardrobe staples that are rendered in idiosyncratic ways. The pieces I tried on were a mixture of that, like the burgundy pony hair trainers that breathed new life into the pared-back and low-profile shape, or the checkered shirt that had both a grungy and polished air. It’s safe to say that I know you also will revel in the pieces that caught my eye. So, without further ado, keep scrolling through for my favourites from my COS autumn 2025 try-on.
The Best COS Buys for Autumn 2025, As Tried and Reviewed By an Editor:1. Cashmere Cardigan + Triangle Scarf + Wool Trousers + Pony Hair Trousers 
My Review: Here’s a little-known secret—the high street is where most fashion people shop for their knitwear. With many brands offering cashmere at more affordable price points, these textured pieces often rival their designer counterparts. COS is one of those staples that will always have gorgeous cashmere pieces in an array of styles or colours.
This merlot-tinged cardigan is one example. It’s labelled as brown but certainly looks more of a deep plum, one of the key autumn 2025 colour trends, in person. The brushed texture reminds me of the alpaca hair cardigans that have been bubbling up, but the goat’s wool instantly makes the style far less scratchy compared to other natural fibres. I opted for a size M, though you can easily size down if you want a more fitted shape. The reason why I chose a larger size was to complement the slouchy pleated pants I styled the look with.
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m somewhat of a snob when it comes to woollen trousers. (If it's good enough for the Olsen Twins, it’s good enough for me.) I can act this way because I rarely wear denim jeans and mostly find linen styles too cumbersome for my taste. These had a great weight and structure. As the name suggests, they’re both relaxed and fluid, but still shapely as the fabric cascades down the body. They’re labelled as a wide-leg, but don’t protrude in a way that makes me feel like I’m wearing flares or walk around looking like an inverted triangle.
Finally, I tied it all together with the matching triangle scarf and complementary pony-hair minimalist trainers. This is the kind of outfit that I adore come autumn—fuss-free, elegant but oh so cosy.
Shop the Look: 
My Review: This exact outfit is nearly identical to a look Matthieu Blazy presented in his sophomore spring/summer 2023 collection for Bottega Veneta. But in the two years since, I’ve seen countless different interpretations cross my path.
Back in February, Jennifer Lawrence took the checked shirt out for a spin while walking through Manhattan. A little closer to home, style savants like Marilyn Nwawulor-Kazemaks and Monikh Dale have also followed suit. Naturally, this made COS’s viral checked shirt the one I was most eager to slip into.
Personally, I found the fabric slightly thinner than I expected, though it was still a substantial weight. The power of these try-ons means that you can interact with these pieces in a no-frills environment. If I had purchased this sight unseen, I perhaps would’ve left feeling a little disappointed because of this.
I also learnt that while I love the tie-up look on other people, I’m not sure it’s one that works with my exact proportions. As I have a larger chest and a shorter torso, I felt it truncated and widened me slightly. But when I wore it open as a blouse, it didn’t necessarily feel quite right either. As they say when shopping, if it’s not a full body yes, it probably should be a no.
What I did love, however, were COS’s jeans. The brand’s barrel leg and arch jeans are best sellers, but this straight leg style really made me a convert. As someone with longer legs, I find it hard to find pairs that sit exactly where I want them to hit on my hips while stopping exactly where I want them to fall around my ankles. Not this straight leg style. Best of all, I feel like they really helped to sculpt and lift my bum without feeling too constricting at the waistband or through the thighs.
Finishing the look with suede touches, like this boxy bag and cappuccino trainers, was a great way to make the silhouette feel contemporary without being overtly on trend. So while I was saddened to not fall head over heels with this exact formula, I know there will be so many others who will.
Shop the Look: 
My Review: If there's one look that's long adored and referenced by designers and chic dressers alike, it's Gwyneth Paltrow's matching green set from 1998's Great Expectations. Now, I know this outfit is neither the same colour nor fabric, but the tonal qualities and shapes reminded me of just why that formula is so impactful.
Rather than relying on ostentation or elaborate styling elements, the somewhat rudimentary pieces convey a sense of sophistication and intrigue because of their simplicity—not in spite of it. I will always endorse a column skirt, so when I saw this knee-grazing style, I instantly gravitated towards it.
There’s something quite Isabella Rossellini in Conclave about the skirt colour that was actually very charming, but could also read matronly. So, I offset it with a bright baby blue long-sleeve and the same suede trainers from before. Fashion people are acutely aware that blue and brown are an elite colour combination; however, I loved that this tonal look adhered to what’s called a split-complementary colour palette. In colour theory, this refers to a visual story where a singular base colour is offset with two colours from the same shade family, from the colour directly opposite to it on the colour wheel. While this is all very theoretical, it's these exact concepts that make the outfit work.
Shop the Look: 
My Review: Whenever I think of the word “sophisticated”, this is typically an outfit that would call to mind; a crisp white button down that would never be seen with a coffee stain on it, a billowing grey cashmere cardigan woven with the finest thread, neutral trousers and scuff-free leather flats. It’s probably because this exact formula is something I always see peddled by minimalist brands like St. Agni, Phoebe Philo, Tove and Rohé. Now, you can add COS to that list.
For a fraction of the price, you can find expensive-looking pieces that certainly will have you feeling like you stepped out of a Khaite lookbook. To begin, I layered the best-selling Pima Cotton shirt in a size 34. This is smaller than I’d usually take, but I found the other pieces were quite oversized in a chic “borrowed from the boys” way, though I wasn’t striving for those proportions.
Next up were the wool-blend wide-leg trousers. They’re labelled as grey online, however, I feel like they’re more mole coloured or mossy in person, which balanced out the steel coloured jumper nicely. These pants were fresh from the runway and actually came as part of a three-piece set with a matching blazer and shirt.
After picking up the bottoms, I’m certainly going to have to go back and get the other pieces just because of how versatile and comfortable the colour is. Truly, I have lived in these pants. I’m not usually one to wear an elasticated waistband out of the house, but the levels of comfort and ease they provide are really second to none. They also offer quite a bit of movement thanks to the bagginess, but still feel smart and intentional. I finished it all off with a string of pearls—this season’s answer to the organic pendants and beaded jewellery—and a pair of leather flats, which I think tied it together nicely.
Shop the Look:At Who What Wear UK, fashion is our speciality. Our editors have years of industry experience, from reporting on seasonal fashion trends seen at international fashion weeks to working with some of the most recognisable names in fashion. Every item we recommend is carefully selected based on current trends, quality and real-world wearability.
We regularly try on pieces ourselves—everything from best-selling jeans to designer shoes—and speak to external experts and fashion insiders, staying closely connected to what our readers are searching for. Our advice is grounded in expertise, and each and every buy we feature has to meet our exceptional taste standards—so you can feel confident in every recommendation.
whowhatwear
